OK so having eaten, showered and being on second cup of restorative coffee I can check my Strava from this mornings ride.
I still wish I had managed to eek it out to 50km but maybe next time.
One thing that always strikes me is the discrepancy between how you feel a ride went and the records it produces. For instance today's ride (see link below) felt slower than normal, mostly because I was just spinning my legs and taking my time.
However it would seem I set a series of personal bests on segments along the route. This was surprising but probably not too much. Especially after a week of hammering up and down mountains in Wales (I will write up the rest of the holiday).
However getting stronger on the bike, also getting better at pedaling (staying out of the big ring and increasing the cadance on lower gears to go faster for longer) is one thing. Certainly other than a route I do with my friend Alan there are no real records I am after.
Yet here is the issue. I am nowhere on the lists when it comes to the top riders. That's fine for me. I ride because its social and I enjoy it. However I can see how people would want to chase them. I remember Geoff smashing down a trail as fast as he could to get a KOM on an off road segment near us (Geoff is the best mountain biker I know) yet he was still almost half a minute off the top of the segment. He couldn't understand how someone could go that much faster than he did on the route. On a road ride its similar. How can someone smash a route 10-15 km/h faster than I'm going when I'm ringing all the speed out of my bike?
In don't doubt that people can do it but some segments, especially on the road, can't be done that quickly and still be safe. I think while the leader boards are good to see how you stack up they have to be taken with a pinch of salt to prevent people obsessing or risking themselves for what is essentially a digital d@ck measuring contest.
When that takes over I think Strava might not be a great thing after all.
Check out my 49.5 km Ride on Strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/174699981
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